By Jim Genova, People's Weekly World,
8 April 1995

One of the most significant labor victories thus far in 1995 is
that of IG Metall, the German engineering and metal workers
union, which beat off an attempt by the employers' association,
Gesamtmetall, to delay implementation of a 35-hour workweek with
no reduction in pay.

After weeks of warning strikes and demonstrations which involved
tens of thousands of workers, IG Metall was forced to call the
first strike in the industry in 11 years, and the first strike to
hit Bavaria's engineering industry since 1954, when management
continued to press for postponement of a 1990 agreement which
would reduce the workweek one hour -- to 35 -- effective October
1.

The union held fast to its demand for implementation of the
agreement despite management claims that it would cause a 2.8
percent increase in labor costs and that it would exert
inflationary pressures on Germany's recession-wracked economy.
Further, the union demanded a 6 percent pay increase and
eventually won a 3.8 increase as part of the settlement.

IG Metall patterned its demand after an agreement reached with
the auto manufacturer Volkswagen in which the union agreed to a
four-day workweek, with corresponding pay cuts, in order to
preserve 30,000 jobs that were slated for elimination. One year
later, almost all of the 30,000 are still employed at VW.

This time, IG Metall took the struggle a step further, demanding
no cut in pay -- and even a pay increase over the annual
inflation rate of 2.3 percent. This marked a significant victory
for labor in Germany and served as an inspiration for the
beleaguered European labor movement.

Unions in France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom have
followed suit with similar demands for shorter workweeks to
preserve jobs and to generate further employment. IG Metall
estimates that their two-year deal with Gesamtmetall will lead to
an increase in consumer spending, thus fueling demand for durable
goods and leading to a decline in unemployment as more workers
are hired to meet that demand.

Coming as it does in a period of economic crisis, the IG Metall
victory shows the possibilities of winning offensive struggles
around wage increases, shorter workweeks and improved conditions
even in a period of perceived economic decline. It exploded the
myth that wages and hours can only be won in times of economic
prosperity and that workers "must share the pain" when capitalism
descends into its ever more frequent cyclical crises.